Blankie Bedtimes
by sinfullysarcastic
Summary: "I have to get back, I can't sleep without my..." "-Blankie! He really panics without it." Eleven year old Joy, Patricia, and Jerome all have drastically different opinions about Alfie's blanket, but at the end of the night, the most important thing is that he's asleep happily. Jerome/Alfie/Joy/Patricia friendship. One shot.


**DISCLAIMER: I don't own House of Anubis.**

**Um, so this is kind of pointless, but I hope you enjoy. It's about House of History/House of Eclipse, where they're stuck in the gatehouse and Patricia says that Alfie can't sleep without his blanket. And I was just thinking how cute it would be to have mini Patricia, Joy, and Jerome, all trying to deal with Alfie's blanket, so here? It's set when they're eleven.**

"Jerome, will you just _give _him his blanket back?" An eleven year old Joy Mercer crossed her arms and tapped her foot demandingly, holding back a yawn. Her best friend, Patricia Williamson, who stood right next to her, had no reluctance to yawn though, the sound filling the otherwise quiet room.

"No!" Jerome Clarke shook his head adamantly. "_Joy_, we're _eleven_! We're in the big school now! He can't keep sleeping with his blanket!" As soon as he stopped talking, Alfie Lewis turned in his sleep and whimpered out the word 'blankie.'

"You slime ball, he's having _nightmares _without his blanket, just give it back," Patricia grumbled crossly. "And then _we _can all go back to sleep too, yeah?"

"I'm just preparing him for the real world," Jerome insisted. "He can't be carrying his precious blankie around when he's thirty, now can he?"

"He'll grow out of it soon," Joy rolled her eyes and straightened out her pajama bottoms, looking over to Alfie. A wave of pity ran over her- the poor boy was practically crying in his sleep without his beloved blanket. How could Jerome hold it back from him when he so obviously needed it to sleep?

"He'll grow out of it _now_," Jerome corrected. "One night. That's all I'm asking."

"Where'd you hide it?" Joy narrowed her eyes and flicked on the table lamp. She adjusted to the light and began peeking around Jerome's side of the room, in search of Alfie's blanket. She couldn't very well go to sleep knowing one of her friends was having a restless sleep. "Patricia, come help me look." The usually feisty redhead just nodded today and joined Joy, combing through Jerome's things.

Jerome rolled his eyes, "You're not going to find it!"

"Ha! Found it!" Patricia waved up the blanket like it was some sort of prize and Jerome let out a defeated sigh. The familiar alien print sickened him, and he reached for the blanket only to have Patricia throw it to Joy, who was on the other side of the room. Before he could even react, Joy was at Alfie's bedside.

"Alfie?" She whispered quietly, poking his shoulder. "_Alfie_!" She let out a quiet scream when he didn't wake up.

"I got this," Patricia assured, grabbing the pillow from underneath him and whacking him with it. Joy flinched every time the pillow made contact with Alfie, but he jolted up with wide eyes soon enough.

"Wha-what happened?" he asked. "Trixie? Joy? Why are you in my room? Oh my gosh, was it the _aliens_? Have they come for me?"

"You were having nightmares," Joy informed him, and Alfie stiffened at the mention, obviously remembering the details now that she mentioned it. She handed him the blanket and Alfie let out a little squeal, cuddling into it.

"Guys!" Jerome groaned. "The whole point of it was so we could get Alfie to outgrow the blanket!"

Alfie pouted, "Why would I want to outgrow blankie?"

"Because _no one else _our age still has one! Joy?"

Joy shook her head but decided to reassure Alfie, "I don't have a blanket, but I do have Bunsy-Buns."

"Lame," Jerome said, and Joy glared at him. He turned to Patricia, "C'mon Trixie, back me up here. _You _can't have a blanket, can you?"

"No way," Patricia wrinkled her nose in disgust, failing to see Alfie's diminishing smile. He looked so small and vulnerable and Joy's heart swelled with sympathy.

"Thank you," Jerome looked at Patricia as if she was the only sane person in the room while Alfie held his blanket tighter.

"Are you mad at me?" his voice quivered as he looked to Jerome. His best friend had been trying to get him to go to sleep without his blanket for a while now, and he was worried that Jerome was angry that he couldn't do it. Alfie didn't like it when his friends were upset with him, but then again, who did?

Jerome softened slightly, "No, course not. Just go to sleep, yeah? We'll try again tomorrow or something."

Alfie gave a small smile, "See you in the morning, J-Meister."

"Later, A-Dog," Jerome nodded, and Alfie heard Joy give a quiet scoff at the nicknames. Jerome looked to Patricia and Joy expectantly as he settled into bed.

"Well? Get out!" Joy opened her mouth as if she wanted to say something, but quickly decided against it and left the room. Patricia followed, and Alfie closed his eyes once more, readjusting his pillow and holding his blanket close. It was only when he felt somebody tap his shoulder did he crack his eye open again. Jerome was still asleep, gentle snores filling the room, but Patricia's face clouded his sight and he rubbed his eyes.

"What's wrong, Trixie?" he asked tiredly. She bent down to his ear, glancing at Jerome before whispering out her secret.

"I, uh, don't have a blanket but I have an imaginary dog. Sniffles. But if you tell _anyone_, you're dead." Alfie nodded fearfully and Patricia softened. "You're not lame, Alfie." And with that, she exited the room, flipping off the desk lamp as she went.

It was nights like these Alfie Lewis really appreciated these wonderful people he had been lucky enough to meet.


End file.
